Rabat - Moroccan athlete Hicham El Guerrouj became the youngest man to be inducted in the International Association of Athletics Federations' (IAAF) hall of fame.
The double Olympic gold medalist is one of the 12 international athletes who will be joining the IAAF 2014 Hall of Fame during a Gala ceremony set to take place in Monaco on Friday 21 November.
Inaugurated in 2012 as part of IAAF's centenary celebrations, the IAAF Hall of Fame required athletes a set of strict minimum criteria of at least two Olympic or world titles plus at least one world record.
In addition, all members must have been retired from the sport for a minimum of 10 years prior his election. In 2013, the eligibility criteria was relaxed to allow athletes whose achievements had an 'extraordinary impact on the sport' to be considered as well.
Often dubbed as the 'king of the mile', Hicham El Guerrouj will be inducted into IAAF Hall of Fame after he just turned 40 in September, and barely a decade after he put an end to his professional career.
The Berkane native and holder of 1500 meters world record is considered by many as 'the greatest middle distance runner of all time.' He won four successive 1500m titles at the IAAF World Championships from 1997 to 2003. El Guerrouj was also the male World Athlete of the Year on three consecutive occasions from 2001-2003.
After disappointments at the 1996 and 2000 Olympics, El Guerrouj finally managed to win gold medals in the 1500m and 5000m at the 2004 Athens Olympics.
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